The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides for the protection of service animals for disabled people. Service animals are working animals, not pets. We welcome patients who require a service dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be related to the person’s disability. If the patient has a service dog that falls under Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), they can bring the dog with them to all areas of the clinic where the public is allowed to go. It may be proper to exclude a service animal from surgical areas where the animal’s presence may compromise a sterile environment.
The service animal must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered while in public places unless these devices interfere with the service animal's work or the person's disability prevents the use of these devices. A person may be asked to remove their service animal from the premises if: (1) the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or (2) the dog is not housebroken. When there is a legitimate reason to ask that a service animal be removed, staff must offer the person with the disability the opportunity to obtain goods or services without the animal’s presence.
Examples of service animals that must be allowed into public accommodations under the ADA include:
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Hearing dogs - alert their handlers to important sounds, such as alarms, doorbells, and other signals
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Guide dogs - help those who are blind or visually impaired navigate safely
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Psychiatric service animals - help their handlers manage mental and emotional disabilities by, for example, interrupting self-harming behaviors, reminding handlers to take medication, checking spaces for intruders, or supplying calming pressure during anxiety or panic attacks
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Seizure alert animals - alert their handlers of impending seizures, and may also guard their handlers during seizure activity
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Allergen alert animals - alert their handlers of foods or other substances that could be dangerous (such as peanuts).
If it is not apparent what the service animal does, we may ask only whether it is a service animal (we can ask if the dog is required because of a disability), and what tasks has the dog been trained to do. We may not ask what the person’s disability is and we may not request the provision of any service animal training certification or other proof of training.
If the animal does not perform a service but provides emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companionship, they are not allowed in the building. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do NOT qualify as service animals under the ADA.
